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Thursday, August 24, 2017

CHANDIGARH: Sensing trouble ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the Haryana government is likely to fly him for the court hearing.

Highly placed sources said that the state government might bring the Dera chief from his Dera headquarters’ in Sisra to Panchkula by a helicopter as the Panchkula district authorities have prepared a helipad at the Sector 5 parade ground in this regard. From the helipad he will be brought to court under heavy police protection. It is learnt that the road from the parade ground to the court complex in Panchkula will remain sealed from August 24.

The controversial godman enjoys a Z-plus security cover by the Haryana Police. This case of sexual exploitation was registered against him in 2002 by a CBI court after anonymous letters were circulated that he exploited his two ‘Sadhvis’ (female followers). He was charged in 2007 and the trial began the following year after the CBI took the testimonies of the two women. He had been denying these charges.

A second case was registered against him for instigating the murder of Haryana-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati for his writings against the Dera. Chhatrapati was killed on August 24, 2002. While one of the accused was caught on spot the other was arrested a few days later.

Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is one of the accused in the Ranjit Singh murder case. Singh, who had distanced himself from the Dera, was called to Sirsa in June 2002 and threatened by accused Avtar Singh and Inder Sain to seek apology from Gurmeet Ram Rahim for having circulated anonymous letters and in July 2002 he was allegedly shot dead.

In 2014 the CBI has also registered a case against him for forcible castration of 400 followers on the directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court, investigation are still going in that case as the bapex agency has recorded the statements of about dozen such victims.

In another case the CBI filed a closure report in 2010 as there were allegation on the dera chief and three others that they hatched a conspiracy and gor his driver Faquir Chand disappeared in 1991.

In 2007 Rahim Singh was booked by Punjab Police for imitating Guru Gobind Singh and a couple of years back he was acquitted by the local court.